Aloha,
Aloha,
My name is Ron Slee, and I am the Managing Director of Learning Without Scars LLC.
You may remember us as Quest, Learning Centers, Inc., from the early 1990s. We developed our training programs when other organizations stopped offering management training for product support departments because OEMs and associations considered it too costly.
During the summer of 1994, I used IBM’s ViaVoice speech-recognition software to create eight 250-page training manuals.
Later that year, we began delivering all product support training for Associated Equipment Distributors (AED). We remained its sole training provider from 1994 until 2015, when we moved our programs online. I also wrote a monthly column for AED for more than 20 years.
In the early 2000s, many organizations again concluded that operational training was too expensive and turned to webinars instead. These sessions typically lasted about an hour and featured a presenter speaking online while participants viewed a PowerPoint presentation.
As a teacher by both inclination and training, I was dissatisfied that I could not see my students. Once again, we pushed the boundaries of technology. Using a remotely controlled projector and an eight-by-eight-foot screen, I delivered a conventional webinar with PowerPoint slides but could pause the presentation, step in front of the camera, and address students directly. They could see me, although I could not see them. This experience also sparked my interest in branding: I wore Hawaiian shirts during the webinars, and students often told me they looked forward to seeing which shirt I would wear.
By 2015, I recognized that teaching 10-hour days, four days a week, around the world was no longer sustainable. We again embraced new technology, combining several software platforms to build our learning management and training business, which I named Learning Without Scars. Throughout my career in this industry, I have worked with clients to identify problems, evaluate solutions, select the best available option, and implement it successfully.
One lesson I learned early is that continued growth requires a willingness to fail. The key is to recognize failure quickly, correct it, and move forward. Leading from the front left me with many figurative scars, so I wanted our learning platform to help others grow without acquiring the same scars. We therefore named the business Learning Without Scars LLC.
We have also redesigned our instructional model around segments of approximately one hour. Our current classes require about eight hours to complete. Because educational guidelines generally recommend two hours of homework for each hour of instruction, we divide those eight hours into roughly 30-minute segments. Each segment concludes with a quiz, and students must score at least 50% to advance.
We initially focused on the construction equipment industry and drew extensively on teaching materials I had developed throughout my career. After every class, I updated the content based on feedback from students, dealers, OEMs, business system providers, and associations.
In 2020, we received international accreditation from the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). While not part of the government, various federal and state agencies recognize or use the ANSI/IACET Standard for continuing education compliance under laws like the National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act.
Our students can earn up to 128 academic credits; with our certificate, these credits may be added to transcripts at technical and vocational schools, community and junior colleges, and public and private universities. We are currently the only organization in the world with this accreditation. Today, we offer 160 subject-specific, eight-hour classes covering product support functions, including parts, service, product support sales, parts and service marketing, and customer service.
We are also pleased to offer classes and assessments in an area we call Skill Mastery. Current learning products cover Electrical, Flatbed Transportation, Pilot Escort Vehicle Operators, Marketing, and Supply Chain, with additional offerings planned.
Our latest development is a completely redesigned website featuring an AI concierge called Socrates Says, named after our logo. Visitors can speak to the website and receive verbal guidance as they navigate its content. More enhancements are on the way, and we remain committed to leading the education sector through technology.
Thank you for your time. We hope you share our enthusiasm for the progress we have made. To receive news and other materials from us online, please accept our privacy notice.
Ron